There are probably bigger stories for Freo this year (Mundy’s agelessness, Brayshaw’s emergence as an A-Grade midfielder, Fyfe’s profligacy in front of goal), but to my eye it looks like Darcy has really turned the corner this year to becoming an elite ruckman.
The two things I really wanted to see from him this this year – an uptick in contested marking and increasing his hit-outs to advantage – have both gone to an elite level. His HOTA rate (38%) is at the Gawn/NicNat level. More than that, he’s shown he can be a great contributor in the forward line, which we really need given out lack of depth for talls there. His timing on leads in the forward line is probably better than any of our tall forwards, meaning he can actually get some ‘easy’ goals when we are on top in the midfield, which is something we are sorely lacking.
He's a really smart player, and his decision-making is excellent (and not just for a ruckman). His tap to Schulz for a goal on the weekend showed how quick a thinker he is. But he’s also tough; he had 8 tackles on the weekend. He took on Goldstein and Campbell largely by himself, and despite still rounding into rucking fitness I thought he made them look pretty ordinary. Once he gets a bit more fitness and game time, I think he’s a chance to be a real difference maker.